Incased universal joint.



0. W. SPIOE R. INGASED UNIVERSAL JOINT. APPLIGATION FILED JAR. 17, 1907.

Patented May 17, 1910.

INVENTOH my)! BY moauEvIs,

SPICER. INCASBD UNIVERSAL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1907.

Ou on s V H N N a m .t. A

7 To all whom it maycomem:

' STATES PATE aT o-FFlGE;

CLARENCE w. srrcns, or rriamrr'rztn, NEW JERSEY.

moasnn UNIVERSAL 301m.

Be it known that I, CLARENCE W. Srronn,

a'citizen of the United States, residing at.

Plainfield, in the county of'Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incased Universal Joints, of which the following is' a specification.

My invention relates to incased universal joints, such for example as that covered by my Patent No. 7 68,407, dated Au 23,1904, and comprises novel and improve inclosing means for universal joints.

'My invention consists in a cap adapted to fit over and close, in all positions, the open end of a suitable casing member; all as.

. more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The ob ects of my invention are, to improve the construction of casings for universal joints; to prevent the entrance of dirt,

' dust, slush, mud, water, etc. to the working parts of such oints; to retain lubricant; to permit the joint to work through a wide angle; and generally to make the device simple, reliable, and easy to manufacture.

Incased universal joints of the type referred to are extensively used in the driving mechanism of motor vehicles, and launches, and in various other places whereit is neces- -sary to permit relative motion of driving and driven members. They usually com- .prise a casing member, secured to one' member of the universal oint proper, andifitting closelythe other member of the joint in such manner as to permit free movement of the latter through a considerable range while preventing the entrance of dirt and "mud, slush, etc. owing to'its exposed position beneath the car, is usually or frequently inclined downward at quite a considerable angle; from which results a tendency for all t e mud, slush or water which collects on the inclined shaft to run down thercalong upon the universal joint at thelower end of the shaft, the inclosing members of which Specification of Letters Patent. I Application filed January 17, 1907. Serial No. 852,785.

are therefore much In automobile driving Patented May 17,-1910.;

are the; correspondiniparts of the joint, at the opposite end of t e shaft.

-W"1th a-view to 'sheddingrmore greet-utilize mud, slush, water andthe like, I rovide a cap, which may be termed a-weat ercap externalof the main casingmember, but fit-l ting closely thereto, preferabl -with packing therebetween, andconstructs -to permit 'free relative universal movement of such; casing member and cap. 1 This cap and the 'easmg member may be so constructed that-theyto gether constitute thereal inclosing-casingof the joint; or the maybe purely-ado weather cap, the real inelosing' of the-joint being-produced by a casing member coactingwith an end closure or the likeformed'on or carried by'one member of, the universaljoint.

The accompanying drawings illustrate certain embodiments of my invention.

In said drawings, -Fi e I'shoWs'a side.

elevation-of a prope er shaft; such;-as commonly employed on "automobiles,- pro: vided at both ends with incaseduniversalv joints of the type covered by my said'Patent No. 7 68,407 the joint at the lower end of the shaft having also a 'weathercapfi Fig. 2 is a similar view on a smaller=scale,

showing weather ca s for both joints and.- 8s

showin a portion 0 one weather cap and easing roken away. Fig. 3 shows anelevation of one of the" joints, with thecasing member and weather cap sectioned; Fig. 4:

is a view similar to Fig. 3 of an alternative form of incased universal jointprovided with weather cap. I Fig. 5' shows an end view ofa' joint such as shown in Fig: 4; the view being a section taken on the line M of Fig. 4, a portion of one weather cap being broken away; and Fig. 6'shows' an elevation of a universal joint, with the casing U sectioned, wherein what is shown; in the other views as a weather cap becomes one of two over-lapping casing membersyto gether completely mclo'sing th'e working parts of the universal joint theconstruction shown in this figure being especially suitable for joints required to. work-through wide angles. I

Referring first to Figs; 1, 2 and;3, 1 des-' ignates the propeller shaft, and 2 and 3 incased universal joints atlthe ends thereof. Each joint is of the general type shown inmysaid patent, comprising end members 110 4 and '5, of'which'either maybe a, driving member and the other the driven member,

more likely towear'than V which may and an intermediatemember or trunnion 'block 6 to which both members 4 and 5 are pivotally connected, the pivotal-axes of the two members being at right'mmgles. member 4 is a disk havinghorns Z containing-the bearings for the'trunnion block 6, and the member 5 has similar horns8, the rear face of this member 5 being of sub: 'stantially' spherical. curvature, however, so as to form a closure for the opening-in a spherically-curvedjcasin n I to joint members. So ar as described the construction is substantially that of my said prior patent; 10 the afore mentioned weather cap. It is a light sh ell,.or cap, referably formed of sheet or pressed meta and of approximately spherical curvature, and

1s mounted-upon the hub-boss ll of joint,

member-5 and closes the opemn' 1n casing member 9 through which said hui-boss pro jects; in so doing supplementing the ,closin of said opening by the-spherically-curve rear face of member "5. 1 commonly provide this cap 10 with'a groove containing suitable packing" material, 12 forming a tight joint with" the casing member 9.

As the I said Patent-Np. 7 68,407: are commonly made, packing'is provided between the rear s lcally-curved surface (if-member 5 an the casing member, 9, and in said extent such packing material is shown, an in Fig. 2- I have also shownis'ucl packmg at 22. Placing packing material between I the casin 10 is not inconsistent wit member 9 and cap the use of packmg'material between said member and joint-member 5, but to the contrary is hi hly advantageous; the packing material 0 the "caplO then serving in themain to keep out mud and slush and thus.

greatly reducing the wear on the inner pack- 1H0 material, \vhichtherefore is the better able-to perform its function of keeping out fine dust and 'of retaining lubricant within the casing, besides'keeping .out any liquid of the cap. But with"packi ng material betweenthe cap and'casin -member, there-1s not the same occasion as efore for packing between the casing-member and joint memher 5, and therefore in Fig. 3 I have shown the joint without such inner packing material. I may also provide the upper universal joint, 3, -'with a'simil'ar-weather cap 10, as shown-1n Fig. 2.' A weather-cap-ls also applicabletb ncased universal joints the casings oi which have curvatures other:

than spherical. Such a'joint is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which 13 and 14 are driving and drivenfm'ember's having sphenical bearing-journals fitting; within correspond ing bearing-sockets'in intermediate disks 15; and 16, 16 are casin members secured to. said disks and exteng'ngin opposite directions therefrom',' .the outer'nds of said cassos V members beingycfilindrical in curvature, The' I said ;l3 and 14 also carry joints constructedaccording to my- .a hemi-sphere,

leak past the packingmaterial -and drivenmembers,

- tially closed with, and mounted the axes of such 0 ndrically curved surfacesbeingat right angles and intersecting bers 13 and 14 carry. correspondingly-curved at the centerof the joint. The joint merncaps 17, within but adjacent to the ends of casing'members 16 and closing the apertures in said ends through whifzh said members Band 14 pass; and said members other cylindricallymembers but adjacent to the ends thereof a and provided with grooves 19 containing packing material. "It is obvious that the cas there or, are the mechanical equivalents of the form of easing shown in Fig. 3 and the.

so constructed, and the weather'caps Weather cap therefor, res ectively. -.-.It; is sometimes desirab e to be able to in'' case .-universal joints. intended .to work.

through relativel'y'wide angles. oints such as shown in Fig. 3 and in Figs. ,4 and-5 are k in practice limited to a comparatively small range. of angular movement of and driven members.

their driving To provide a casing which will-permit, a wider range of movements I may proceed as shown in Fig. 6, the joint-members, 5, 5 and 6 of which are in general construction the same as the corre-' sponding members of the joint shown in 3, except that neither end member is a is k, but both are constructed'the same as member 5 of Fig. 3; The casing for this joint comprises two spherically-curved members, 20 and 21, each'somewhat more than her 20,. and provided with agroove 22 for packingmaterial'. -To permit assembling of member 21 embracing memthis casing, the outer member 21 is formed -in. two parts-,;:comprising,'besides its main part, which is a little. less than a hemisphere a ring 23 extendin beyond the equator of said member 21 and so having at its outer end an orifice too small to permit the as lngmember 20 to be pulled out. This ring 23 therefore holds the members 20 and 21 together-in all possible angular positions of said casing members.

.VVhat I claim is 1. The combination with an incased universalajoint structure, .comprising drivin means connecting said members-for the transmission of the motion fromlone to another,'and a casing inclosing said driving and driven members, having an opening through which one of said members pro'ects, such opening substany the member so rojecting theret-hrough, of a cover for said opening outside of said casing but coacting thereupon the member so projec2tmg through said opening.

power. transmitting device comprisev ing two universal joints and a shaft coning'driving and driven members and means connecting said members for the transmission of motion from one to another, that one of said members, of one such joint, whichis not-. connected to the shaft, havinga casin provided with an opening through whic the"ot-her said member of that'joint projects, such opening substantially closed by said member so projecting there'through, said casing thereby substantially inclosmg the joint," in combination with a protecting said shaft and fittin cap for saidincased joint, mounted on that member ofsaid joint which is connected to over, coacting with, and partly inclos'ing t 1e casing of that oint.

3. A power transmitting device comprising two universal joints and a shaft connecting said joints, each such joint comprising driving and driven members and means connecting said members for the transmission of 'motion from one to,another, that one of said of one such joint, which 45 not members V connected to the shaft, having a. casin provided with an openinmthrough whic the other said member of? that joint rejects, such opening substantially-closed y said member so projecting therethrough, the said casing hav ng a curved surface'substantially concentric with its respective joint, in combination with a-protectingcap for such incased joint mounted on that member -0t said joint whichis connected to said shaft and fitting over andcoacting with the curved surface of said casing. v

4, The combination with an inoased universal joint structure, comprising driving and driven" members, means connecting said members for the transmission of motion from-one to another, one of said members being-provided with a curved surface. sub-. stantialiy concentric with the axis of oscillation of that member, and a correspondingly-curved casing membeltinclosing said curved surface and having-"an orifice substantially closed thereby, said casing member mounted upon another member of the joint, of a cover for said orifice outside of said orificed" member but coacting therewith, and mounted upon the: member provided with such curved-surface. 3-.

5.'The. combination with an incased umversal jointstructure, comprising driving and driven members, means connecting said members for the, transmission ofmotion' and driven members, means connecting said members for 'the transmission of motion from one to anothexg-one of said members being provided with a sphericallyrurred surface substantially concentric with the axis ofiosciiiation of that member. and a corre; sp'ondingly-curvedcasing member inciosing said curved surface and having an orifice substantially closed thereby, said casing member mounted upon another member of the joint, of a cover for said orifice outside of said'orifieed member but eoaeting therewith. and mounted upon the member provided with such curved surface.

in testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE w.- srIcn-n.

\Vitnesses:

S'raxo. Biuunou. Asa F. Rnruom'n. 

